Blade!!! Hulk #181!!! There may be a saturation of the same few characters and books. Maybe. Not that there’s anything wrong with having cake all the time, but let’s try a bit of something else. To shake things up and add a bit of variety, here we will highlight the key books for a few more obscure characters. Not even just unpopular; but further, characters no one even thinks about. Some additional parameters:

  • Never been in a movie.
  • Never been in a TV show.
  • No rumor or news for an upcoming anything.
  • Bonus Points: Never written about in a previous article here.

As random as possible.

 

 

THE SLUG

The Slug, also known as Ulysses X. Lugman, first appeared in Captain America #324 (1987) and quickly followed up with his first full appearance in the next issue, Captain America #325 (1987). He was introduced as a villainous drug dealer, whom Nomad was hunting down. After Nomad runs into trouble, Captain America comes to his aid as they team up together against the Slug.

The Slug is often depicted wearing sunglasses. This is due to his sensitivity to light. Furthermore, the Slug has low mobility, so he requires the use of special wheelchairs which is often tricked out with gadgets. He uses his large size as an advantage in physical fights, and his heightened intelligence to manage a criminal empire.

With Hawkeye getting a series on Disney+, perhaps there’s a very off chance that the Slug might get some screen time. Either way, the cost of owning both Captain America #324 and #325 in a raw fine grade would cost just under $10. Not bad for the Miami kingpin.

 

 

SAX GOLA

Many comic stories often have alien invaders coming to conquer Earth, but what about our neighboring planet Mars? Sax Gola first appeared and only appeared as a villain in Batman #41 (1947), in the "Batman, Interplanetary Policeman!" story. With Sax Gola threatening to conquer Mars, Batman and Robin are summoned to help fight back. Unfortunately, Sax Gola turns the tables by mind controlling Batman.

As an added bonus, Batman #41 is considered the first science fiction cover for the Batman comics. Currently, a copy of Batman #41 graded at CGC 6.5, which is at the 50% mark of the CGC census, carries an FMV of $650.

 

 

ANIMAL LAD

Animal Lad, also known as Ennis Janhson, first appeared in Adventure Comics #331 (1965). His superpower is the ability to transform people into animals, transform animals into other animals, and tame any animal.

In Adventure Comics #331, Animal Lad tried to join the Legion of Super-Heroes, but his membership attempt was rejected by Dynamo Boy. It would later turn out that Animal Lad’s rejection was really because Dynamo Boy was the villainous Vorn, who was secretly trying to recruit heroes that could be potential villains.

Instead of continuing his pursuit to become a superhero, Animal Lad moves on to utilize his expertise with animals and work in a space zoo as the Central Director for Endangered Species Control. Just as noble in its own right.

Compared with the previous books mentioned, Adventure Comics #331 falls on the cheaper end; copies of the book in a raw fine condition can be found for under $10. As an added bonus, Adventure Comics #331 is also the first appearances of other Legion of Super-Heroes membership hopefuls: Golden Boy, Polecat, Tusker.

 

 

"Nothing is pleasant which is not spiced with variety.” - Francis Bacon, The Essays